Volume One, Chapter 11: Breaking Through the Spirit Profound Realm! Mu Yuyao Appears!

Dongfang Jingming shot him a cold, sharp glance and said in a low, heavy voice, "If he did not kill Mu Ping out of kindness or a soft heart, that would be one thing. But if he knew that killing within the Demon-Locking Tower would inevitably be discovered by our Tribunal, and knew that Mu Ping had not mastered more than seven Demon-Sealing Arts—meaning he could not be promoted to a personal disciple and posed no threat to him or the Chu Kingdom—then the situation changes entirely!"

"He should not have let Mu Ping go. Is he not afraid that the Chu Kingdom will be taken over by Mu Yuyao? Is he not afraid of being killed in an instant?"

Yang Xuanjun paused, then asked, "Master, aren't you overthinking this? How could Chu Tianxing know how many Demon-Sealing Arts Mu Ping had mastered? Even if the arts manifested their own phenomena to dispel demonic energy, Chu Tianxing could not possibly understand such secrets, could he? The phenomena of the Demon-Sealing Arts only correspond to the number of arts mastered, and this is something only those who practice them can interpret. Furthermore, everyone who practices them must take a Demon-Control Pill, which makes it impossible to disclose such matters; to speak is to invite death. So I think..."

Before Yang Xuanjun could finish, Dongfang Jingming interrupted him with a stern voice: "Do not forget, someone triggered the phenomenon of golden light soaring into the sky!"

"Do you think it is possible that the person was Chu Tianxing?"

"This..." Yang Xuanjun’s breath hitched. If Chu Tianxing had mastered more than seven Demon-Sealing Arts, he would be more than just a supreme genius. He would be a prodigy beyond supreme, perhaps even an absolute monster!

"This must not be spread. If the one who triggered the golden light is indeed Chu Tianxing, we must naturally recruit him into the Demon-Locking lineage." Dongfang Jingming's eyes flickered, and he suddenly gestured, "Once he has consumed the tower spirit’s avatar, you will..."

Meanwhile, in the central area of the ninth level of the Demon-Locking Tower.

After half an hour of absorption, the tower spirit’s avatar had completely vanished, its power entirely devoured by Chu Tianxing.

In an instant, the spiritual energy surrounding Chu Tianxing surged rapidly.

"First Level of the Spirit Profound Realm!" Chu Tianxing was pleasantly surprised. The Spirit Profound Realm was already the level of a core disciple. He was now even closer to the martial arts realm occupied by Xing Bufan and Mu Yuyao!

Chu Tianxing held absolute confidence that within half a year, or perhaps even less, he would surpass both Xing Bufan and Mu Yuyao!

*Hum!*

Suddenly, the surrounding scenery began to fade, and the sky dimmed into pitch-black darkness. Chu Tianxing was not surprised; without the tower spirit, the Demon-Locking Tower was merely a weapon, no longer possessing the power to house internal spatial scenery.

Outside the tower, the dozens of inner sect elders who had been sitting in meditation suddenly opened their eyes in unison.

People were flying out from the entrance of the Demon-Locking Tower one after another!

*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang... bang, bang!*

Seeing tens of thousands of inner sect disciples, along with tens of thousands of demonic beasts, all flying out of the tower, the elders were collectively stunned.

"Could it be that Mu Ping not only gained the approval of the tower spirit but also devoured it?"

"Such a result has not been seen for a long time!"

"Indeed. Anyone who has achieved such results has already been promoted to a personal disciple."

The inner sect elders marveled, exchanging glances before moving to seal and contain the beasts without killing them.

However, at that moment, Mu Ping and the woman surnamed Li, among others, flew out of the tower, all of them severely wounded!

Mu Ping, in particular, had all four limbs severed. He lay on the ground, covered in blood, wailing in agony and unable to move an inch!

Seeing this, the dozens of elders’ eyes widened, and they even forgot to continue sealing the beasts. As a result, many inner sect disciples who were too slow to react were injured by the beasts!

"If Mu Ping didn't devour the tower spirit, then who did?" The elders were astonished, unable to believe their eyes.

"Don't just stand there! Seal the beasts!" the First Elder of the inner sect regained his composure first and issued a sharp command.

At that same moment, Chu Tianxing emerged last from the tower entrance. Unlike the others, he was not ejected; he walked out. He was completely unscathed, his aura perfectly steady.

"Chu Tianxing? You are still alive..." The First Elder’s pupils contracted, his expression shifting instantly. The other elders were equally shocked; they had never expected Chu Tianxing to survive, let alone walk out of the tower with such nonchalance.

Could it be that the one who devoured the tower spirit’s avatar was Chu Tianxing? How could that be possible?

"Tower Control Art..."

Ignoring the crowd, Chu Tianxing raised his hand and formed a series of seals.

*Hum!*

In an instant, the tower, which had once reached into the clouds, shrunk to the size of a palm and fell into Chu Tianxing's hand.

"Without the tower spirit, this replica of the Demon-Locking Tower only has the structural hardness of a sacred artifact." Chu Tianxing toyed with the tower in his hand, thinking it was enough; it would not hinder him in battle.

"It was indeed him who devoured the tower spirit!" The dozens of elders were filled with horror.

At this moment, the tens of thousands of inner sect disciples looked at Chu Tianxing with awe and reverence.

"Congratulations to Senior Brother Chu for claiming the Demon-Locking Tower!" the disciples shouted in unison, cupping their hands in respect.

They were so respectful because Chu Tianxing was humble and polite to others, only acting ruthlessly toward those who had crossed him. Those who had held grudges were now terrified of him, seeing nothing but fear when they looked at him.

"This... what on earth happened?" The elders were dazed, over and over again. Before they entered the tower, all the disciples had looked down on Chu Tianxing, some even hurling insults. Yet now, in less than two hours, such an incredible change had occurred?

"Chu Tianxing!!!"

Suddenly, Mu Ping, lying on the ground with his limbs severed, roared, "I will kill you! I will make you suffer and die!"

Hearing this, everyone looked at Mu Ping, having already guessed that it was Chu Tianxing who had broken his limbs. Those who had mocked Chu Tianxing and been taught a lesson by him felt immense relief; even Zhao Yujing, whose mouth had been beaten to a pulp, felt lucky compared to Mu Ping's fate.

Chu Tianxing said expressionlessly, "You want to kill me, you piece of trash? Wait until your limbs grow back... oh, perhaps you won't have the chance."

"Chu Tianxing! How dare you hurt my cousin!"

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out, causing everyone to turn their heads. The person who arrived was none other than Mu Yuyao!

"So what if I hurt your cousin?" Chu Tianxing’s eyes turned cold, and he retorted with intent, "Didn't you tell me at the outer sect today that whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules?"

"Cousin! Waaah..." Seeing Mu Yuyao, Mu Ping began to wail with self-pity and resentment.

Seeing his cowardice, a flash of disgust crossed Mu Yuyao's eyes, but Mu Ping was her cousin after all. Furthermore, Mu Ping had mastered over seven Demon-Sealing Arts and was destined to become a personal disciple; he was highly valuable!

Thinking of this, Mu Yuyao quickly retrieved a medicinal pill and fed it to Mu Ping.

"I want him dead! Once I am promoted to a personal disciple, I will kill him with my own hands!" Mu Ping swore through his tears.

Mu Yuyao nodded slightly: "Very well! Since you have such ambition, I will spare his dog life for today! However..."

At this point, she looked coldly at Chu Tianxing and said, "He dared to break your limbs, so I shall break his!"